Day 4

At breakfast

After breakfast and Masada we headed to Ein Gedi, which is Oasis in Israel near the Dead Sea. Also at the top of Ein Gedi is the cave that David was supposed to have hidden in from King Saul. The waterfalls and springs at Ein Gedi were gorgeous and they felt great because that day was hot!

The springs

One of the waterfalls

Ein Gedi

Hiking around Ein Gedi

The water looks kind of gross, but felt amazing!

Mom and I at the spring

After spending a couple of hours exploring Ein Gedi, we headed to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. It is believed that this is where the Essenes, a particular Jewish sect, lived and they constantly bathed to purify themselves.

a replica of the Dead Sea Scrolls

artifacts excavated at Qumran

steps leading down to the baths where the Essenes bathed

excavation site

remains at Qumran

remains of a kiln

the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found

mom and I at Qumran

After Qumran, we finally left the Dead Sea area and headed towards Jerusalem. Our first stop in Jerusalem was to the Mount of Olives where we were able to get a panoramic view of the Old City.

A view of the Old City: the Dome of the Rock and part of the Mt. of Olives

Mount of Olives

the walls of the Old City

the Mount of Olives is covered with graves

At the Mount of Olives

Following the view of the Mount of Olives, we went to the Church of Dominos Flevit, which built by the Franciscans in the early 1900s.

One of the trees outside of the church had the type of thorns that the Romans used to create a crown of thorns for Jesus

Inside the church

The church

Our next stop in Jerusalem was the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. Inside the Church of All Nations was a stone, which is believed the be the stone that Jesus prayed on in the Garden of Gethsemane.

the trees inside the garden

the garden

Inside the Church of All Nations

in the garden

the Church of All Nations from the outside

ceiling of the church

The rock where Jesus prayed

mom and I with the stone

After our tour of the Mount of Olives and the churches in that area, we headed to the Western Wall. Tomorrow I'll post pictures from the Western Wall.